GoF Chapter 11 Discussion

[Steve Bates]

No: HPFGUIDX 2065

<<Am I making too much of the meeting with Amos pointing towards 
Cedric's death?>>
No, not at all.  This scene is important in letting us get to know 
Amos, as well as in developing his character.  It is interesting to 
compare his friendly attitude in this scene with the way he acts 
towards Harry after Harry becomes the fourth champion, and then in 
the way his manner changes again after Cedric's death.  It is 
important for us to get to know both Amos and Cedric for Cedric's 
death to have the proper impact, and JKR does an excellent job of 
introducing them, considering that at the beginning of GoF Cedric was 
no more than a name heard once or twice, while at the end, he seemed 
like an old friend.
In the very interesting JKR interview of a few weeks ago (post 2018) 
she mentions in passing that she absolutely *hated* killing Cedric.  
So why did she do it?  I've noticed before that he could have been 
kept alive with only minimal plot changes; there would be some subtle 
but important shifts in theme and the effects on Harry, but I think 
there must be some greater reason for killing Cedric than we've seen 
yet.  What kind of possible repurcussions could the death have in 
Book 5?